Our research program is focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle deterioration and the development of metabolic disease. We are particularly interested in the dynamics between amino acids, inflammation, and the development of metabolic dysfunction that leads to skeletal muscle deterioration. Specific, ongoing research objectives in our laboratory include characterizing the metabolic signature underlying muscle progenitor cell expansion (MPC); identifying metabolic and molecular drivers of MPC expansion and differentiation; understanding the role of arginine in skeletal muscle regeneration and protein balance; determining alterations in skeletal muscle metabolism that occur with aging in women; determining the effects of blueberry consumption on MPC inflammation and oxidative stress; determining the safety and benefits of graded doses of histidine in healthy humans. To address these objectives our research program utilizes translational models (human to primary skeletal muscle cell cultures) coupled with state-of-the-art imaging and –omics techniques and technologies.